Norton resigns as Interior secretary

WASHINGTON, March 10 (UPI) -- Gale Norton, who has served as secretary of the U.S. Department of the Interior for more than five years, announced her resignation from the post Friday.

In a resignation letter to U.S. President George Bush, Norton said the department had "climbed the mountaintop" in encouraging cooperative conservation while implementing Bush's agenda.

She said she would like to leave Interior by the end of the month.

Norton, 51, is the first woman to serve as secretary of the Interior and held the post longer than all but six of her 47 predecessors.

"Now I feel it is time for me to leave this mountain you gave me to climb, catch my breath, then set my sights on new goals to achieve in the private sector," Norton's letter read. "Hopefully, my husband and I will end up closer to the mountains we love in the West."

Bush issued a statement praising Norton as a "strong advocate for the wise use and protection of out nation's natural resources."

"Because of her leadership and thoughtful attention to management, repairs, and maintenance issues, Americans will be able to better enjoy our great national parks and wildlife refuges for generations to come," Bush said.